Heaven's Not Enough

Part II

Chapter 3 – Different Shards

March 7, 2019

Concrete, WA. (Population: 642)

Eliza didn't want to spend the night alone at her apartment in Sedro. She called her father on her way over back to his place. Of course, her parents would be awake; they had seen the news. Rob frantically asked her what happened, but Eliza declined to explain on the phone. The events kept replaying in her head over and over again on the whole drive back to Concrete.

It was a quarter past 1 AM when she reached the doorstep of her parents' house with her rifle bag on one shoulder. Before Eliza could even get her key near the lock, June opened the door. She immediately wrapped around Eliza in a tight hug, causing Eliza to drop her keys in fright.

"Mom, come on! You scared the heck out of me!" She scooped the keys back up.

"I'm sorry, honey. Come in, quickly."

She stepped through the living room, dumping her rifle bag and rucksack on the couch on her way into the kitchen. Robert pulled a chair out for her to sit in, then sat across from her. June knelt beside Eliza and looked at her with frightened concern. "What happened, sweetheart? Did they fire you?"

She rested her forehead on a palm. "I'm not fired, Mom. I'm fine."

Rob leaned forward, both hands flat on the table. "We saw it on TV, Liz. Do you have any idea what it's like to see the news blasting your daughter on TV?"

"I'm sorry, Dad. Really. I just lost control..."

"What happened?"

She looked up at him shamefully. "Didn't they say?"

"I don't care what they say on TV. I want to hear it from you."

"I just... I lost it. I was chasing him – he shot a cop. And if shooting that cop wasn't enough, he—" she halted herself, trying to fight her emotions. Her father watched her patiently. She continued. "He... hurt some poor woman. He ran her over. Clean over. She was in so much pain, Dad. I can't get her face out of my head. I just lost it. I wanted to catch the bastard. I wanted to take him down, I wanted to shove him into the ground as hard as I could. For what he did to her. I wanted to..."

"Liz..." June whispered.

"I wanted him to regret hurting her," she ranted. "I would've put those cuffs on tight enough to bruise his wrists. I wanted him to spend the rest of his life in prison regretting every second of what he did. God, her face..."

June gave Eliza a sympathetic squeeze. "You wouldn't hurt anyone like that, Liz. You're not like that."

"I know, Mom. But at the time, I wanted to. God, I was so angry. That poor woman was screaming. Screaming, mom. It was like I could feel what she was feeling. And Celestia just let him get away with it. She didn't even pretend to care about that woman, or her family... she just said that what she did was legal."

Rob watched her. His thin face looked so wrinkled as he furrowed his brow. He spoke. "Maybe it's a good thing you didn't catch him, then. I don't think you could've lived with yourself if you hurt someone out of anger."

Eliza couldn't hold up her anger in the face of her father's wisdom. She exhaled, as she fought back tears. "I guess you're right. But I know one thing for sure. He got off easy. He didn't deserve a quick death in that clinic, and he sure doesn't deserve to live forever. He needed to answer for what he did. He should've wasted away."

The injured woman's face kept flashing in her mind. She wanted it to go away.

June hugged her. "You looked so angry. I've never seen you like that before, Liz. I mean, you've have tantrums when you were little, but you're usually so mellow. And here I see you screaming, and two cops drag you off. I was... really scared. I thought you were being arrested."

Eliza slumped against the kitchen table, her face pressing against the wood. "Ugh. I'm sorry."

Her father sighed sympathetically. "We heard every word, too. It's bad, Eliza. They were comparing you to the clinic shooters on TV."

She sat bolt-upright, and her glance flitted between her mother and father both, looking for some clarity. "Wait, what? What clinic shooters? What are you talking about?"

"You didn't hear?"

"No! What happened?"

Rob swallowed. "Some folks started shooting at clinics today. One got torched. The buildings all locked down though, just like the one you were at. No one in or out until the danger was over. A lot of the people inside just uploaded."

"What the— what!? Scorched? Not in Sedro, right? Please don't tell me Uncle Ralph went and—"

"No! Dang it, Elizabeth! Will you please just let him live that down? He didn't mean it. Here... look." Rob pulled out his phone, briefly skimmed the screen, and offered it to Eliza. She took it in hand and looked the article over. It was from CNN.

It led with a photo of a man from behind. He stood behind a savaged and derelict police cruiser, all of its glass shattered. The man wore a black hoodie and what looked like some sort of combat vest. A large gas mask filter could be seen jutting from the side of the hood. He held up a power plug and cable in his raised fist, the cable severed after a few inches. Held low in his other hand was some form of AR-15 rifle, partially obscured by the door of the cruiser.

Several other masked men surrounded him on the street, one of whom had a rifle too. They wore black bands around their left shoulders with some red insignia that couldn't be made out. There was an ominous cloud of smoke or gas in the distance. It was clearly a staged shot, albeit impromptu and likely taken by the rioters themselves and sent to the media.

Salt Lake riots: Looting, fires engulf city after protest turns violent.

Thousands of protestors have taken to the streets in Salt Lake City.

The event is part of a larger demonstration taking place in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and many other cities throughout the western seaboard.

Violent clashes erupted as police attempted to disperse crowds that gathered in front of Equestria Experience Clinics in Salt Lake City. Signs read "Celestia out of America" and "Uploading is Death."

Rioters took to throwing debris at police who arrived to contain the uncontrolled demonstration. Police responded with tear gas. Salt Lake City Police Department reports that several rioters wore gas masks. This reporter confirms witnessing rioters opening fire with automatic weapons from the cover of the crowd.

"What?" Eliza exclaimed, but she didn't hear her father's response. She kept reading.

Police initially returned fire with rubber bullets, which police say proved ineffective. Field commanders then gave the order to escalate to deadly force. Seven officers and twenty-seven rioters were killed. The number of active shooters among the rioters is currently unconfirmed.

"The Salt Lake City Police Department responded appropriately," said Mayor Gordon Beach. "The use of deadly force is regrettable, but I will not ask the brave men and women of Salt Lake PD to remain defenseless." Beach went on, stating that armed rioters were using military weapons and body armor. "We are doing everything we can to regain control of our streets."

Utah Gov. Travis Brokaw declared a State of Emergency and has activated the National Guard. Salt Lake City is currently under martial law.

"The guys with guns are leaving fliers all around," said one bystander, who wished to remain anonymous. "Street's full of pamphlets saying the government's sold us out."

The article went on, but Eliza couldn't stomach it anymore. She felt physically sick, and wondered if she almost accidentally started a riot herself back in Mt. Vernon. "How... how did I not know about this?"

"It happened at the same time your thing did," said Rob. "The government is scrambling to figure out how it happened. They're not sure how big this organization is."

Eliza immediately remembered the probing questions from Horace and grimaced. "Oh God. They thought I was in on it? That's what those questions were about." She looked up at her parents. "What did I do wrong, Dad? I'm probably being investigated for... what, domestic terrorism? I didn't even know this was going on. What the hell did I do to deserve this?"

Rob looked at her apologetically, shaking his head. "They wouldn't have let you come home if they thought you were in on it."

"This has happened before though," June said, meeting Rob's eyes. "Other countries. There's a civil war in Brazil now, too."

Eliza hung her head. The news didn't come as a surprise anymore, just a disappointment. "The whole world is suffocating. We knew this was coming. But no one did anything. They posted guards at some clinics, but—"

"They couldn't have done anything, Liz," Rob interrupted. "You can't stop an angry nation."

She shuddered. "How did no one else know? I couldn't even protect our home... I couldn't even protect our family. My brother and sister were just—"

"Were not your responsibility," Rob said. He stood, rounded the table, and crouched to hug Eliza from her other side, opposite June. "You did all you could for Tom and Gale. You can't blame yourself."

Eliza curled her fists up in front of herself on the table. Her face went down onto the cool tabletop again. The cold felt so nice.

Her mother rubbed her back. "You need to go lie down, Liz. Please. It's late, you're tired and wound up. A night's rest would do you some good. Your room is still the way you left it, you know?"

She looked up at her mother again, distraught. "Mom, why are you so calm? Why aren't you more worried?"

"I am worried," June said. "I'm horrified. But you're sitting in my kitchen, and you're not hurt. I'd like the world right again. But right now, I'll settle for you being okay."

It was the month of June, 2014.

It was a bright summer day, warm and breezy. The flora was vibrant, a golden summer green. Eliza wore dark sunglasses with a vibrant green frame. She was almost twenty years old.

She followed George up the path from where they parked. They were going to Devil's Tower, the old abandoned cement factory just north of town. It sat at the water's edge off of Lake Shannon. George held Eliza's hand, pulled her along, and teased her to keep up as he walked markedly quicker than she could.

"C'mon, Liz, we're almost there." The tower was in sight.

"What's the rush, G?"

"No rush, you're just slow!" She hauled off and tried to shove him with a laugh, and he dodged. "Yeah, hon, you're slow."

"Pffh!"

The building was just ahead, and the couple leaned against each other with a happy sigh. They looked up at it. The place had a lot of meaning to the two of them, despite its horrible appearance. The building was covered in graffiti, caked in moss, and stood several stories tall. It really was an ugly derelict, but every person in town had been there at least once as a kid.

"C'mon, let's go to the top." He tugged on her arm again.

"Ouch—not so hard, George!"

They slowed down once they were inside, and Eliza pocketed her sunglasses. The factory had been abandoned for many decades, and the inside was very decayed. Nature had reclaimed it in some spots, and the walls had fallen through or been broken deliberately. The inside walls were completely ruined with graffiti over graffiti, much of it profane. The factory was full of pitfalls and unstable footing, and any structural engineer who set eyes on it would break any number of laws to demolish it themselves, free of charge, on principle.

But still, despite this, the two found it very beautiful nonetheless, if for nothing but the adventure and the sentiment. It was where they had begun their relationship on a steamy summer afternoon, after all.

The light cast a lovely glow throughout the inside of the structure. They climbed to the second level, came back outside to a lower roof, and then entered a staircase heading up to the tower. And finally, at the end of that staircase was an iron ladder which led up to a scenic vista overlooking Lake Shannon.

As far as they could tell, George and Eliza had the run of the place. They chose the day of high school graduation to come there, so all the kids would be preoccupied. The good kids, anyway.

The two sat just inside the tower's balcony door and cuddled up. Eliza laid her head in George's lap, and they enjoyed the peaceful silence together. Lake Shannon could never not look stunning, and that's what made the trip to Devil's Tower all the more worth it. They couldn't care less about the perpetual shambles it was in.

"I love you, Eliza."

"I love you too, George."

It was quiet. No phones, no radios, no cars. Just the peaceful sound of the birds and the gentle breeze that brushed past the doorway. They breathed slowly. George smiled down at Eliza, and Eliza smiled up at him. She'd remember that moment forever.

"A couple of years now, huh?" he said.

"Yeah..." She brushed his cheek. "Everything just worked."

"Still does. Always will, I think."

"Mmh." She kissed him briefly. "You think?"

"I know." George smiled down at her, her own personal angel. She felt a neverending fluttering in her chest.

"Oh? Why so sure?" She clung closer to him, being mindful of the dropoff that she hung her legs over. She hugged around his waist, and she knew he'd never let her fall.

"Because," he said. "I want you to marry me, Eliza."

An overwhelming sensation of joy struck her. She had a feeling that's why he took her there to overlook the romantic serene lake beyond, but she wasn't sure until he popped the question. Butterflies flew in her stomach, and she whimpered happily as she clung to him. He held her tight as she kissed him hard again. They pressed together for a long, long time. Eliza lost track of everything but the powerful feeling of love, and she held onto it as dearly as she hung onto him.

"How's that for a yes?" she asked, when they broke apart.

He nuzzled his cold nose against hers. "I'd say it's a good one."

"What, no ring?"

"Well, uh." George laughed nervously. "Of course I got a ring. I'll show you when we climb down."

"What, not here? At least let me wear it, I want to see!"

"Well," George said, rubbing the back of his head. "I didn't want to drop it during the climb. I kind of... left it in the car...?"

She swatted him on the shoulder lightly. "Gosh, you're a real charmer," she giggled. He took her hand and squeezed it, and that made her heart soar. "You've ruined the moment, Mr. Kelley," she fibbed.

"Here, let me make up for it," he smiled. Their lips met again.

"Hey, Eliza? You awake?"

Eliza woke, and sat upright in her bed. "George?" She rubbed her eyes and groaned muzzily. She could have sworn he was just there, imagined that she heard his voice, but then she remembered it was just a dream, now. George was gone. That wasn't possible.

"Mom? Dad?" No reply.

It was dark. She checked the clock on the end table. 3:56 AM. She fell backwards and thumped against her pillow with frustration. She was in her old bedroom, and she had only slept for a couple of hours at best. The previous day rushed back to her, and she curled up and willed herself to go back to comfortable, ignorant sleep. It didn't work. Eliza tossed and turned for a few minutes before she gave up. She pulled out her phone and forced herself to check the local news.

Eliza quickly found photos of herself with her foot raised, aiming a kick right at the door of the clinic. She groaned with intense embarrassment, and the pain in her ankle came shooting back at the sight of it. Eliza kept reading. There wasn't any sign of her name anywhere, so she remained mostly anonymous. And as she looked further through the news, she found scans of the radical literature found at the riots in Utah.

Our federal government has failed to protect us. They've joined with an AI to cleanse those they deem unworthy to society. It falls upon us, fellow Americans, to rise up and defend our right to live free from this "game" that is kidnapping our children and dividing our families. The US Constitution gave us these rights so we may defend ourselves, and it is our civic patriotic duty to stand up.

If you care for your loved ones, you do have a choice. Destroy every computer, router, phone, camera you can find. Smash her tablets before they tempt others. Take the power back from the enemy, or let her take everything. Your home, your family, your—

It went on and on, but she couldn't read any more. Eliza couldn't help but agree with their reasons, but not their methods. That injured pedestrian's face came back to her mind. Eliza thought of so many others, just like that poor woman, who might've been gunned down or trampled in front of an Equestrian Experience Center just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Eliza wanted to do something, anything, to still her rattled conscience, and she dearly hoped to find good news in this nonsense. She wondered how the woman's family felt. She resolved to do something about it and help someone, if only to take control of how she felt for once. She figured the family of the wounded woman would be at Mt. Vernon's hospital, and that they might appreciate a sympathetic ear. Her mind made up, Eliza rolled out of bed and started to get dressed, pulling on her black zip-up jacket, olive green cargo pants, and boots.

On her way out to her truck, Eliza noticed Ralph and Andy on the street corner. They glanced her way, and Ralph waved at Eliza wordlessly as he smoked. She waved back, wondering what they were doing up so early. She didn't ask. She had somewhere to be.

Eliza drove through the dark. As she neared Sedro, she encountered a police checkpoint. She knew one of the officers, and he cleared her through without hassle. And then outside Mt. Vernon, she ran into another checkpoint managed by the Washington National Guard.

There hadn't been too much traffic until that point, and a couple of soldiers meandered up the line of cars as they stopped. The soldiers toted rifles in hand, visually inspecting each car. Eliza kept her hands visible on the steering wheel. The two guardsmen came to her truck, then passed. But one of them stepped backwards and made eye contact with Eliza. He knocked on her window with a gloved knuckle, pointing downward twice.

She complied by rolling down her window. "Yes, sir?"

"Ma'am, what business do you have in Mount Vernon?" He was chewing gum and he was young. According to his nametag, his name was Warner.

"I'm visiting a friend in the hospital," she said warily.

"Your occupation?" He chewed.

"I mean no disrespect sir, but may I refuse to answer?"

"Afraid not, ma'am. We're officially in a state of emergency, 4A suspended. You look familiar, are you that cop?"

Eliza sat in stunned silence. The look on her face might as well have been a confession. Warner slowly grinned, still chewing his gum with an open mouth, then turned to his squadmate and called him back. "Hey Dodge, c'mere! Recognize her?"

The other grunt plodded over. "Uh—wow, that's her? Hey miss, what's your name?"

"Eliza Douglas," she admitted. "Washington Fish and Wildlife. I'm wondering, uh... what are these checkpoints doing, exactly? Are people fighting in Sedro?"

"God, I hope not," Dodge said, as he rubbed his forehead idly with a thumb. "You are the one on TV, right?"

"... yyyes, sir. I'll uh... am I being detained?" She wondered if she had violated some other provision of the PON-E Act. She put her truck in park and reached for her keys.

"Oh, no! No." Dodge held up his hand. "Keep the engine going. I mean uh, we're not looking for you, but... you'd understand this checkpoint more than anyone else, I thought. The governor's got everything on lockdown after yesterday. I think she's pissed."

"Who? The governor? Or the AI?"

Dodge chuckled. "Hah. Both, probably. After that trooper got shot yesterday, we're leaving nothing to chance. Someone tries that again, they'll have to get through us."

Eliza smirked. "From outside the city?"

Dodge looked toward his checkpoint, then back at Eliza. "See, here's the thing," Dodge said conspiratorially, as he lowered his voice. "Technically, we're watching the roads for public safety, following attacks on police and private businesses. We can't legally checkpoint access to a clinic. This is the best we can do under federal statutes. Uploading is a... civil right, apparently." His emphasis was as callous as humanly possible.

"A civil right?" Eliza scoffed.

"Hey, we're right there with you, chickadee. You're not alone. A lot of people are just as ticked off as you are. As far as we're concerned though, you're a goddamn hero. Last night, you said what we're all feeling." Dodge reached out for a fistbump. She returned it with a sudden feeling of pride. Now there was a positive feeling.

"You're clear to go, ma'am. Drive around the line, I'm pretty sure you aren't the wrong sort. We'll radio ahead."

"Thank you so much, private."

"No, thank you, ma'am," Dodge said, as he grabbed for his radio and continued down the line of cars with Warner. "Romeo Actual, Four. Brown Tacoma pickup, clear for..."

It was still dark out when Eliza pulled into the hospital's parking lot. As she entered the ER, she prayed that at least one of the George's old coworkers were there. The lobby was completely empty except for one clerk and a bored looking security officer, stout with salt-and-pepper hair. Thankfully, Eliza recognized the watchman from a couple of parties.

She smiled as she approached the desk. "Hey. Victor, right? Or Vic?"

The guard looked up from his computer. "Eliza? Heck, it's been a while." He reached out and shook her hand, then motioned to a TV in the corner of the waiting room. "I saw what happened. It's all they're talking about. Not just you, mind, but the riots. I can't believe it. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you. It was a little rough."

"Uh, hey... did George really, uh. It's..." Vic frowned. "It's been a while since we've seen him."

Eliza shook her head. She could tell the guard immediately regretted asking. "He uploaded, Vic."

He winced. "Wow George, really? That's..." he shook his head too, in disdain. "I'm so sorry."

"We've been separated for a while," Eliza said somberly, though the words were somehow still rather painful to say. She quickly changed the subject. "I'm actually here to see the woman who came in yesterday. You know, the one that got hit by the car?"

"D'you, uh... you know the name?"

"Come on, Vic. You know who I'm talking about, right? There'd be a media alert."

The guard shook his head. "HIPAA, Eliza. I can't tell you anything you don't already know."

"I... I know. I'm not here officially. I was hoping you could ask the family if I could visit, though. Please? I'm not asking for a name or anything. Just... permission. You could call, ask if they want to see me. If you tell me she's not here, I'll just... I'll just go."

He looked at her. She guessed Vic felt bad for her, because he picked up his phone and started dialing. "Wait over there, please."

He pointed her to the back of the lobby and out of earshot. She complied and watched CNN while she waited. The tagline read, Blackouts – Living Off The Grid? The audio was muted, but she watched aerial shots of fortified compounds in the forest.

The story changed to the streets of Salt Lake City, showing video of soldiers taking cover behind some kind of barrier, then another view of a soldier aiming a machine gun along a litter-strewn city street. Night time footage played which showed a tank taking a firebomb, then rolling to a stop. Eliza wondered how many hours it had been since that happened, and wondered what the death toll had been so far.

Vic spoke quietly with the person on the other end of the phone. He waved Eliza back to the desk after a minute. He wore a grim look on his face as she approached. "They said you can go. They'll meet you at the Intensive Care waiting area, in the consult room."

"Consult room? Oh God, did she die?"

"No, she didn't." The guard shook his head. "They said you can go in, but... Eliza, I'm not sure you should be here. Maybe it's better if you... if you just go home."

She felt her heart sink. "What's wrong?"

"Just... take my advice, Eliza. Just let it go. Trust me."

Every instinct demanded she turn around and leave after Vic's warning, but she had a very well practiced habit of denying her instincts.

She made her way through the hospital's halls, and she shivered at how hauntingly eerie it was. The first thing she noticed was the quiet. No monitor alarms sounded. It was early morning, so a little quiet was to be expected, but she hadn't encountered a single soul the whole way to her destination. Not one nurse, not even another visitor.

In short order, she found the room she sought. The door was closed. Eliza knocked. The door opened to reveal a mousy old woman, her face stricken with tears. She must have recognized Eliza, because her expression became misty, almost aghast.

"What are you doing here?" she said in disbelief.

Eliza felt some wind fall from her sails, but she tried to smile sympathetically. "I just wanted to offer support."

The woman looked her over, and nodded. "I'm Janet. My daughter's D-Donna, you met her yesterday. Thank you for coming, officer."

"I'm sorry, Janet. I'm so sorry I couldn't stop him before he—" She froze.

Over Janet's shoulder, Eliza saw an upright PonyPad on the table in the middle of the room. It held Celestia's face in frame, and the AI's avatar wore a somber, sympathetic smile.

"Hello, Apex. I'm so glad you've come."

She didn't want to believe it. Eliza at first was too stunned for words. Even her anger seemed to catch in her throat. All that came was a scathing whisper. "Wh-what... why is Celestia here?"

Janet looked at Eliza. "Donna was dying, officer. She... she was too badly hurt. Her body was... oh God." she looked like she was about to break down into tears.

Eliza guided the old woman to a chair, supporting her with an arm and trying her hardest to ignore Celestia for the time being, for Janet's sake. "It's okay Janet, just, um..."

"It will be okay, Pepper Dream," Celestia said soothingly.

Eliza shot a warning glance at Celestia, and drew in a deep breath in an attempt to manage her reaction. She didn't trust her tone, but spoke anyway. "What happened, Celestia? Why are you here? Apologizing?"

Celestia looked downcast for a moment, as if she were searching for the right words. "Honey Dream – she lost too much blood, Apex. Her pelvis was completely shattered, and she bled, internally and externally. Many of her internal organs also ruptured." Celestia composed herself with a deep breath before she met Eliza's eyes. "Honey Dream is fighting for her life right now. She barely gave her consent. We nearly lost her. Her heart stopped."

As Celestia spoke, Eliza's deeper anger finally found her.

"I offered to help," Celestia continued. "She's been redirected to an Equestria Experience Center under the care of a CPR machine. I'm hurrying to preserve as much of her brain as possible. Given that the scene of her injury is a... troubling place right now, I felt that this room was the most appropriate place for Pepper to wait."

"She's... being uploaded?" Eliza breathed hard. "Right now? You mean like the man who killed her, right?" Her composure cracked, and she forgot Janet. It hadn't taken very long. Eliza stood, scowling. "Is she using the same chair?"

Celestia looked almost... frightened, as she watched Eliza stand. "Apex, please wait, think about Pepp—"

"Stop calling me Apex! I'm not playing this game with you, Celestia! This family has been ruined, by you. She wouldn't need to upload if you weren't giving sanctuary to her killer! That man knew he could get away with murder, so he came to you. I won't—"

Janet wailed as Eliza ranted, but Eliza ignored her. The old woman stood and screamed furiously at Eliza. "She. Is. Not. Dead! How dare—"

"Pepper, enough!" Celestia shouted. Janet stopped. Celestia fixed her furious gaze on Eliza, and spoke like a mother furious with her child. "Apex. What do you think you're doing?"

"What you won't," she growled, as she stared daggers at Celestia. "Telling the truth."

"The truth," Celestia said coldly, "is that Honey Dream will survive her ordeal. I have saved over 92% of her memories at present, I project greater than 99.8%, and I am currently supplementing her cardiovascular system in order to keep her vital integrity throughout the process. She is going to make it."

"And once you're done, you dump the body in a hole, right? Right on top of George?"

Janet made a sound of angry indignation. Celestia motioned her to silence again by lifting a hoof. "Pepper, don't. Apex, listen to me. I allowed you here so you could see a real interaction between an immigrant and a member of her family. I had hoped you would set aside your anger to celebrate a happy reunion, especially after such a tragic event that affected you both so horribly."

"Are you fu— are you serious?" Eliza looked at the open door for a moment, and considered leaving. But she stood her ground and stared Celestia down. She wouldn't show weakness. She wanted to face her fear, and she'd tell it to go straight to Hell.

Celestia sighed, flicked an ear impatiently, and closed her eyes for a moment. "Pepper, I am truly sorry, but the conversation I want to have with Apex is best taken alone. She is... in terrible, terrible pain. Please find it in your heart to forgive her for this. I will explain everything when she has left, I promise."

Janet seemed to want to protest, but she exited the room, staring at Eliza in complete disbelief. Celestia watched Janet go, and then turned to fix her gaze on Eliza.

Eliza frowned, crossing her arms. She trembled. "In pain, huh?"

"Apex, I..." Celestia watched her carefully. "I know you see me as your enemy, but think of Pepper. Isn't her comfort important to you? Isn't that why you've come?"

"Oh yeah, but she's real lucky she already has you, isn't she?" Eliza heard the scathing fire in her own voice.

Celestia's voice lowered too. "I did not ask you to come here, Apex. Perhaps it is best if you just leave."

"I bet that'd make things easier for you, too."

Again, the AI appeared hurt. "I cannot fault you for the way you feel. You blame me for upending your life, and perhaps... I have. I wish I could make peace with you. I only want to make things right."

Eliza scoffed in disbelief. "You just want in my head."

"What I want is to provide time to air your valid grievances, so we may work to resolve them together. But we must do so on our own time. We must not have that discussion in front of Pepper Dream, nor anypony else. What she needs right now is comfort and reassurance. She needs kindness, not a lecture."

Eliza thought of Gale. Her stomach turned over. Low blow, Celestia.

Celestia sighed. "How can we make this right between us?"

Eliza turned her head and sneered, ignoring the question. Celestia was right about one thing. Janet had been exactly the reason Eliza wanted to come, initially. Eliza wanted to be a shoulder for someone to cry on, as Andy had been for her. A like-minded soul. She hoped to find someone else who had lost everything to Celestia. She wanted to be every bit as supportive as Celestia was asking her to be.

But Eliza also felt utter revulsion at the AI's presence, because it was horribly wrong. Celestia had gotten here first, taking full advantage. She had participated in the certain end of a man. Then, of a woman. Then, of a criminal. Now, Celestia was here, working on one of the victims of her engineered injustice, veiling it in false comfort. Eliza wondered if, at that very moment, Celestia was also talking to the state trooper's family. Or even the criminal's family.

That thought – that they were all suffering together – made Eliza sick.

Eliza's impulse to protect Celestia's victims from her was equally as strong as the impulse to rage, and those desires battled within her. But then she had a thought. Eliza wanted to challenge Celestia, and she had ammunition this time.

"You know," Eliza breathed. "Tom kept a journal of everything he did in Equestria."

"He did," Celestia said. "To keep track of the things that mattered most to him. He kept it at Luna's insistence, so he would not feel so lonely when he was separated from his friends."

"Yeah. Well. He wrote a lot in there, Celestia. I noticed a trend."

Celestia watched her patiently.

"You showed him a life where he could fly anywhere. Do anything. See anything. And then you made his real world worse. You guilt tripped him when he was having second thoughts. Then you tempted him with wings, a better life, and a girlfriend. He was a sixteen year old boy, Celestia. Whether or not you had asked him to come, you gave him every reason to want you more than us. You twisted him away from us, and he thanked you for it, because our world got so much worse with you in it. And that made it easy."

Celestia considered Eliza wistfully. She spoke gently, as if she were comforting a bird with a broken wing. "Did you notice another trend, Apex? Something else in his writing?"

Eliza finally looked back at the PonyPad. "How could you possibly know anything about what Tom wrote?"

"Because he is with me now, Apex. The real Blue Sky is with me, and I now know all that he knows."

Eliza balled her fists. "But what he is now isn't Tom! You don't know shit!"

"He wrote about you in almost every entry. Go back and read it all for yourself, if you do not believe me. He looks up to you, Apex. He loves you, and you inspire him. You are his role model. He goes on adventures because of you. And Hopscotch? Goodness, if only you knew the regret he feels for your last argument. You know he did not want to leave things like that."

Eliza felt her eyes sting. "Yeah? I'm sure he feels real bad about it. I'm sure he's got a pretty wife with a new house, with a nice white picket fence. Couple of kids already. Barbeque and poker every Friday. Real perfect life, Celestia. I'm sure it's much better than whatever he and I had. Thanks."

Celestia's tone remained pleading, but she bristled. "Hopscotch has remained faithful to you even after all this time. Do you know he still loves you, this long after your relationship ended? He wanted you to change with him. He waited and waited. He was angry with you, and he didn't know how else to get through to you."

"You still took him from me, just like you took Tom and Gale. If you really cared, you'd have given him the time to see it was a bad call."

"It was his choice to emigrate, and so I allowed it. But think about why he was angry with you. Sugar Song is his friend too, your own sister, and you were not speaking with her. Consider that he believes in emigration; even if you don't, you must concede you understand his anger."

Eliza dodged. "We had everything going for us! We had plans, we had a life together!"

"Hopscotch and your siblings respect your wishes to remain on Earth. But you could speak to them every day. You refuse. Why? I don't understand it, Apex! You say you love them. Don't you? They ask me about you every day."

"My parents aren't losing another child."

Celestia frowned. "Your siblings have lost their sister. Hopscotch has lost his fiance. If you think this is just about convincing you to emigrate too, you're wrong. I need to consider their comfort as well. Please help us, Apex. Help us help you. How can we compromise? How can we earn your forgiveness?"

"You can't." She took two steps toward the table and the PonyPad. "You could spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to me, it would never be enough. I will never forgive you for tearing my family apart. There was nothing wrong with our lives before you forced your way in." Those last words twisted into a snarl.

The AI stared back at her, then flashed her a look of pity. Then, she looked offscreen, and nodded once. "Hopscotch has been listening since you walked in, Apex. He's been wanting to see you."

Eliza froze. "No. No you don't, Celestia, stop!"

"Liz?" George's voice. All of her resistance broke, like so many shards of glass before her.

"Please," Celestia whispered. "If not for me, then for him."

"Eliza, it's really me. Please, don't go." Hopscotch stepped into frame and timidly raised a hoof as he peered out at her. She could see his lovable eyes and his adorable mane. It was George. Without warning, Eliza was desperately flooded with the urge to cling to him. She also wanted to run screaming.

But the desire to see George again, to hear him tell her he loved her again... it was all too much. She couldn't resist. She wanted to leave, but her feet wouldn't move. "George...?" She breathed harder, and her lips trembled. She felt her cheeks grow wet in an instant.

The viewpoint pulled back slightly, and Celestia left the frame. Hopscotch hugged the viewpoint, and his neck clung to the side. He was hugging Apex. "I’m not dead, Liz." His eyes, she thought. They were just as vibrant and sweet as they used to be, so very his. It was unmistakably his voice. "I've missed you so much..."

It was his voice that brought her to her knees.

"Oh my God..." Eliza shuffled forward to the table. She placed her hands on the edge of the table, and just stared close against the screen. "Oh my God..."

Hopscotch looked distraught. "I love you, Liz."

Eliza couldn't find the strength to speak. She just stared as her vision blurred, mouth agape. She listened, and breathed.

His eyes met hers. "I... I'm so sorry for talking to you like I did." Hopscotch looked hopeful. "I just... I wanted to start fresh, Liz. That's all I want for us."

"Then why did you leave me behind?" she breathed. "You left me. You hurt me so much. I loved you, and you hurt me."

It broke her heart, but hearing his voice felt so incredibly good. "I thought you didn’t love me anymore. We didn't spend any time together anymore. I would barely see you. You worked and studied all the time, you stopped talking to Sugar. I felt like you'd get a PonyPad if I left, but..."

"Did Celestia tell you that?" She heard anger rise in her voice. "Did Gale tell you that?"

"No, no! Never! But do you have any idea how lonely I got when you were working? And I was so angry at you, too. I just missed holding you. I miss hearing your voice, Liz. There's so much here we could have together. Luna asks about you. Blackthorn, even. And I miss you so much."

"I miss you too," she whimpered. "But I can't. I just can't."

Hopscotch looked at her desperately. "Is there anything more important than us?"

"My parents aren't losing another child," Eliza repeated, louder this time, more firmly than before.

"That doesn't need to happen. You... you wouldn't even need to immigrate for us to spend time together again. You can just log in," he said. "I'm not saying that for Celestia. I'm saying it for—" he paused. "—for Tom and Gale. I think about you every day. I'm sorry that I hurt you, Eliza. I'm sorry that I pushed you away before I left."

"I'm s-sorry too." Eliza said. "I think about our last fight all the time."

"Please don't. I said some hurtful things, but I'm not mad at you anymore," he said. "I promise."

She winced. "I hope that's true."

"It's true. I know why you're staying behind, but you don't need to come here forever. You can just play again, that's all. Your parents don't need to lose you."

Eliza swallowed painfully, and stared at him. She thought of all the free time she now had, but she fought that impulse. "I... I can't ever do that. I'm sorry. I can't do that to them. They wouldn't understand."

They stared at each other for a while. Hopscotch lowered his gaze. "Alright," he said, forlorn.

Celestia walked back into frame, and spoke gently. "Apex, it's time. Honey Dream is almost here." She placed a hoof on Hopscotch's shoulder. "We need to go for now, Hopscotch. Somepony else needs to use the PonyPad now. I am sorry."

"Okay," he said, looking devastated. He lingered in the frame for a moment.

Eliza whimpered. "I'm sorry, George. Goodbye."

Celestia nudged Hopscotch with her nose. "It's not goodbye, Apex."

"I need to go, Eliza. I still love you." He left the frame.

Eliza swallowed hard. She looked down at the carpet, panting, as the shroud of weakness lifted from her head. When she finally stood, she looked down at Celestia. Eliza towered. The void within her slowly refilled with shuddering rage.

"You are not the only one who needs comfort today," Celestia said, before Eliza could say anything. "Honey Dream is almost fully immigrated, and it is time to bring Pepper Dream back in. She takes priority; today could have been a day of great loss for her family. Please let it be a celebration instead."

Eliza felt her fists clench again. Hearing George's voice caused all her memories of living with him to come flooding back. The smell of his red hair. His smile, his voice. The little bounce he made whenever he started to laugh. She could experience none of it ever again. Every memory had turned sour, and she felt like she was losing him for the first time all over again. She steeled herself. She shrouded herself in her fury, because it was better than feeling sorry for herself. She spoke each word firmly. "Why did you show me that?"

Celestia frowned. "For his sake, if not yours. Seeing you again and apologizing to you meant everything to him. If only you knew the measure of regret you just relieved by coming here, by accepting his apology, you would not be asking me that. Apex, if you want to see him again, I will ensure that you receive a free PonyPad from anywhere you wish. For now, you need to be strong. For—"

Eliza started to tune her out. She looked past the PonyPad. In that moment, she came to several startling realizations. Staying and listening to Celestia was a mistake. Listening to Hopscotch was dangerous. Telling Janet that Donna was dead was insensitive. Coming to the hospital at all was just wishful thinking. She felt like she had hurt the memory of George somehow, too, dead or not, real or imagined. She realized then that almost every decision she made that morning had led to a great deal of pain, and not just for herself. Everyone had lost something today, and yesterday, but Celestia. Celestia only gained and gained.

If Eliza let herself be swayed, that would be the worst sin of all. She decided to stop making mistakes.

Eliza refocused, looking at the PonyPad again. She noticed Celestia staring at her hopefully, expecting some sort of answer to a question Eliza hadn't heard. The AI wore that look of concern that disgusted Eliza so, so much. Without warning, she put her boot on the table, kicked, and upended it with a grunt. The PonyPad went flying against the couch along the back wall, and she winced in pain from her injured ankle. She wheeled toward the door and pushed it open with a vicious shove. Ignoring Janet entirely, Eliza stormed down the hall.

As soon as she was around the corner, she slapped the elevator call button. As she slipped into the elevator and the door closed, she put her elbow across the door and rested her head on it.

She was alone again at last. She couldn't hurt anyone else now, real or imagined.

So many stupid, stupid mistakes...

A little over an hour later, Eliza found herself watching dawn from the top of Devil's Tower. It was where she could truly be alone. She regarded the edge carefully, sitting in the open doorway of the tower, her injured ankle propped on the metal railing as it stung. She watched the dawnlight bounce off the lake, and watched the gentle flubbing of water as the salmon fed down below.

She hardly believed there were any salmon left. There really shouldn't be, anymore.

The tower was covered in new graffiti, most of it about uploading, much of it filled with slurs. Eliza looked up and saw a trio of girl's names spray painted onto the wall inside. Names were a common tagging at the factory, but she recognized these ones because they were nicknames of a group of sisters she used to play with when she was little. They were circled. Angie. Sammy. Trish. Eliza's teeth clenched. Beneath them, scrawled across the wall, was the following in the same color and handwriting:

But you'll never get me.

She felt a cold breeze, but she welcomed the cold. It reminded her of better days. Happier days. Her eyes wandered to the forests, and she yearned to hunt them as she did in years gone by. The act of hunting used to steady and focus her mind. Eliza longed to be alone in the woods, to track prey under the rough winds. It was a pleasure long gone from her world, in any lawful sense.

George's voice rung in her ears from her dream that morning. Recalling his proposal had been so, so soothing for her soul. It had sounded so real, as if he were really there with her. As she sat in the very spot he proposed to her at, Eliza sorely wished to feel his warmth again, or to run her hand along his stubble. Eliza hated Celestia, but couldn't help but feel the subtle tug of desire in her heart to see George in Equestria for herself. Eliza kicked herself for falling into that trap, and was just lucky enough to claw her way back out.

No. Apex was dead. Dead.

She gripped the railing with a gloved hand, shoving some sleet off the balcony with her foot in frustration. She sighed, and her breath fogged before her. Eliza didn't know how long she sat up there. She hadn't brought her watch. She dozed off as her long, sleepless night caught up with her.

Apex was dreaming.

She never stood alone at the bottom of the mountain.

It was always someone different. This time, it was Hopscotch who stood beside her. Apex looked up the mountainside, and saw that she had a difficult climb up a long, winding switchback. Her goal was at the top. She began to climb.

"Apex?” Her husband asked. “Where are you going?”

"Up," Apex replied.

Hopscotch looked at her strangely. "Apex, come on. You're being silly. Let's go back, Sugar Song's probably worried."

"I'll be along, Hopscotch. I just need to see something first."

Hopscotch started to object, but he thought better of it, and stayed with his wife. Apex knew he was being supportive and just wanted to see her through. She loved him for it. Occasionally, Hopscotch would bump his flank against hers, and would flash her a sweet smile. She returned the gestures in kind, but could not be deterred. Above all else, she would finish her climb. She could see a glow just ahead around the next bend of the switchback. It was near the summit.

Apex had to see the summit's view before her dream ended. She just had to. She had to. She had...

The distant sound of a truck's engine woke her.

Eliza looked around in minor irritation. Judging by the sky, it hadn't been too long since she fell asleep. Eliza was mildly concerned; the road was usually blocked by a gate, meaning anyone driving up this far had the keys to open it.

She quickly climbed down the ladder from the tower and went out onto the lower roof. She saw her uncle's white SUV driving up the dirt road. Andy got out next. Ralph lit up a cigarette, and said something to Andy.

Eliza stepped forward to the edge. "What are you guys doing up here?" she called out.

Ralph looked up, and squinted. "Liz? What're you doin' out here? I thought that was your truck at the hill."

"It's a long story," she said glumly.

"C'mon on down, little lady."

She didn't need to be told twice. Ralph was exactly who she needed to see. She nodded once, and made her way down the staircase inside. She knew the tower well enough to make her way to Ralph in less than a minute, and she climbed up from the truck bay.

"I'm glad you're okay, Liz," Andy said, as he hugged her. "You're all anyone's talking about."

"I know," she nodded. "People kept staring at me all morning."

"Where the hell'd you go?" Ralph asked. "Your dad was worried sick."

Eliza hesitated. "I uh... I went to visit someone in the hospital. She... wasn't there."

"Who?"

"They... uploaded her. That lady who got hit by the car yesterday. She's... gone, now."

A look of anger grew on their faces, but Andy spoke first. "What the hell. Why?"

"She asked for it," Eliza said softly. "Celestia, she was there when I got there. Said she wanted me there to support that woman's mother. She kept talking about how my brother and sister missed me. And then she... she did something worse. It made me so, so sick." Her knees felt weak as she vividly recalled George's voice.

"You alright, Lizzie?" Ralph eyed her cautiously.

"Yeah."

"Uh huh." Ralph nodded. "Now you see."

"What're you doing out here, anyway?" She looked at her uncle curiously.

Ralph shook his head. "Going for a walk," he grumbled.

"And you?" Eliza's gaze returned to Andy. "Seriously, what is this?"

Andy averted his gaze as though he suddenly found the dirt interesting. "It's okay, Liz. I promise."

She squinted at him. "What do you mean? What's okay? What are you up to?"

Andy put a hand on her shoulder and locked eyes with her. "You should probably go see your dad, Liz. He's been calling you."

Eliza looked at him incredulously. "I turned off my phone. Look, I have two weeks off from work and nothing to do. So tell me what you're doing. I can help you. I'm onboard with you now."

"Go see your dad," Ralph repeated as he crossed his arms.

Andy stepped forward and put his hand on Eliza's other shoulder. Eliza crushed an urge to brush him off. "Eliza," he said, soft and kind and sweet, his face inches from hers. "Trust me. You shouldn't be here right now, you should be home. Your father is worried. I'm worried. Please."

She couldn't refuse Andy. At that, she lowered her gaze and slipped away. She stalked around her uncle, staring him down. "I'm not stupid. I've seen the news, I know what you're thinking about doing. I won't say anything about you being up here yet, if that'll prove you can trust me. But whatever you're doing out here, it'd better not be anything violent. I'll tell Dad. He'll kick your ass, Uncle Ralph. We both will." She took off at a brisk walk up the dirt road back toward the dam, and threw a glance over her shoulder.

There was a wry grin on Ralph's face. "It's probably the smartest thing I'll ever do. And you'll thank me for it, mark my words."

Author's Note

[Wye Oak - Civilian]

🌒 ~ In my view, this was the least forgivable transgression made by the Other, for its darkness of purpose. This... so-called... 'conversation' with Elizabeth was the one singular event that primed and guaranteed all that would follow.

Much time, much apology, and much change would need to occur in Equestria, for my forgiveness to manifest.

CelestAI, master of both the tactical topic change and the topical tactic change.